Bishopal Church of Kirlawa
The Episcopal Church of Kirlawa is the Kirlawan branch of the Episcopal Church. Although considered native to Kirlawa, it has been heavily influenced by the Dorvik Episcopal Church, and continues to receive a certain amount of moral and financial support from the Church in Dorvik. Theology and Sociology The Episcopal Church of Kirlawa considers itself to stand both in a reformed tradition and in a catholic (but not Terran Catholic Church) church tradition: *'Reformed' insofar as many of the principles of the early Protestants as well as the subsequent Protestant Reformation have influenced it, and insofar as it does not accept Papal authority. *'Catholic' in that it views itself as the "unbroken continuation of the early apostolic and later medieval" "universal church", rather than as a "new formation". In both beliefs and practices, or forms of churchmanship, the Episcopal Church of Kirlawa is mixed: in some of its congregations worship remains closer to Terran Catholicism than most Protestant churches, but in others it is difficult to distinguish between the Episcopal forms in use and the uses of other Evangelical bodies. However traditionally the Protestant, or Low Church, has been stronger than the High Church faction. Its constitution affirms many relatively conservative theological beliefs, its liturgical form of worship is traditional, and its organisation embodies a belief in the appropriateness of the historical episcopal hierarchy of archbishops, bishops, and dioceses. Provinces The Episcopal Church has two Provinces, the Province of Salubris, and the Province of Telon, both headed by Archbishops. The Province of Salubris includes the Kirlawan administrative units of Uwakah, Dirlana and Dirguzia, whilst the Province of Nuchtmark absorbs Nuchtmark and Telon. The Archbishops oversee the running of the Church and represent the two senior figures within the Church. The Archbishop of Uwakah has primacy, and is regarded as the spiritual leader of the Episcopal Church of Kirlawa. ::::::: Dioceses The Episcopal Church is split into thirteen Dioceses, each headed by a Bishop. The first five dioceses in the Province of Salubris are located in Uwakah, Cadoria in Dirguzia, and Nisira in Dirlana. In the Province of Telon, all but Carmine are located in Nuchtmark, and Carmine covers all of Merkan. ::::::: Membership and Distribution The Church has nearly five million members, split into 5,884 parishes. Over three-quarters of Episcopalians are located in Uwakah and Nuchtmark. The strength of Episcopalianism lies in urban areas close to the Dioceses of Bishops, where parishes can be overseen, and a loyalty is affected towards their local episcopal hieracrhy. This helps to explain the strength of the Episcopal Church in Uwakah and Nuchtmark, where Protestantism is more universal in nature, spread through various sections of the community. However in the regions of Merkan, Dirlana and Dirguzia, Protestants tend to be located largely in rural areas. This wide dispersion of Protestants does not bode well for the hierarchical nature of the Episcopal Church, and helps to explain its weak nature in these three regions, which combined only account for less than a quarter of total Episcopal members. Dirguzia Dirguzia falls into the Province of Salubris. It contains the Diocese of Cadoria, and has over half a million followers, with 533 parishes. Although within the province of Salubris, it has a strong linkage with Nuchtmark and the province of Telon, and many of its Priests are trained in seminaries in Nuchtmark, rather than in Uwakah. The Episocpal Church in Dirguzia is perhaps the most High Church within Kirlawa, largely because of recent immigration, and because of the influence of the Catholic Church proper within Dirguzia. Low Church congregations are more prominent amongst Episcopalians in rural parts of Dirguzia, especially within the Bible Belt Dirlana Dirlana is a part of the Province of Salubris and contains the Diocese of Nisira. Over three hundred thousand Episcopalians reside here, in 252 parishes. Merkan Merkan is the weakest portion of the Episcopal Church if Kirlawa. Covered with one diocese, the Bishop of Carmine, it contains 290,000 members, located in 205 parishes. The Diocese of Carmine has been heavily influenced by Calvinists from Dundorf, which has given Merkan Episcopalians a distinctly Low Church outlook, and means that High Church Catholicism is rare in the Diocese, limited to a few urban parishes. Nuchtmark The largest number of Episcopalians within a single region resides within Nuchtmark, which contains the bulk of the Province of Telon, and five Dioceses. Over two million Episcopalians reside within just under 2,500 parishes. As with Uwakah Episcopalians are a mix of rural and urban congregations, although unlike Uwakah Low Church practices are dominant within Nuchtmark. Uwakah Episcopalianism in Uwakah has always been particularly strong because of the influence of the neighbouring Dorvik Episcopal Church. It has slightly over 1.8 million members split into 2,396 parishes. Five Bishops oversee the area, and the Archbishop of Salubris is also resident within the province. The region receives some support from the Dorvik Episcopal Church, and fifteen parishes in the remote northwest of Uwakah actually exist within a Dorvik Diocese. As mentioned earlier Episcopalianism is fairly widespread in Uwakah, being found in urban and rural areas, with urban areas leaning towards High Churchmanship, and rural areas towards Low Church services. See Also Episcopal Church Category:KirlawaCategory:ReligionCategory:Hosianism